If you apply for one university only

[Luckystars99]

Does the university know you only apply for one? One university and one course? So basically one choice.

No, they won't, but why would that happen? It's a very risky strategy.

I'm glad you asked this question as dc2 is talking about doing this (due to asd and very set ideas). Wants (needs) to stay at home and only one that she'll consider (which does worry me) but understand anything more is too far out of her comfort range (even this feels out of comfort range at moment).

It might still be worth putting another couple in, things can change. I put down my home town university in case I got cold feet as it all seemed scary, but didn't end up picking it in the top two, it just gave me a comfort blanket for a bit. obviously if moving away isn't possible at all I can see why not picking others makes sense, but there is nothing lost in doing it. No university sees your other picks, so just putting one isn't going to make an applicant more attractive to that one.

Stupid move. Have at least one or two back ups. They dont know who you apply to unless it’s a different course at same uni which is also a mistake

I don’t know. It’s an odd decision though.

Sensitive answer… not ‘stupid’ at all if there are emotional, psychological or practical reasons why only one option actually works for an applicant.

unis can’t see where else you’ve applied for, although if you apply for more than one course at a single uni they can see that.

if she needs to be at the uni to home I would recommend more than one course unless it is a very safe choice.

otherwise she can submit with one and add other choices later?

No, the university won't know this information.

We don't see which other universities - we just our degree programme. Although sometimes applicants apply for two different programmes - with different UCAS codes - at the same university. We see those.

But applying only for one university is risky.

I did this as a mature student last year.

I’m a single mum, so couldn’t commute any further than that particular university. It was all or nothing, luckily I got in!

It’s not stupid if there are genuine reasons behind it that mean going to any other university is just not possible.

I hope your son gets his first choice x

Does the person have a back up plan worked out if they don’t get an appropriate offer? If they have then fair enough, if not they need to have a little think.

I dud this as a 26 year old single parent in the 80s. The university was near to me and my childcare was en route. I couldn't have gone anywhere else.

With online lectures it’s a lot easier to do a course remotely now or to only have to travel in once or twice a week. Obviously not for medicine.

I don't think it's stupid at all. If she doesn't get an offer she can always apply to extra then if she wants to.

Is it a course that offers without interview, and are the standard grade offers realistic for her?

This isn't true. Lectures are live but recorded for accessing online for most courses. Seminars are face-to-face. So the accessibility of the University still really matters. I don't think it is advisable to miss out on the F2F delivery and extracurricular activities Universities are putting on to enhance the student experience.

It is a very specific course and there is not equal course anywhere else.

It is not an strategic to persuade the university to accept them. I was just wondering.

DC knows they may not get a place; will have to take a gap year if not accepted and reapply or consider other options like apprenticeships, etc.

What os their back up plan? Or are there other courses not via ucas?

Do you qualify for a contextual offer? Some unis will offer lower as well if have a disability, so worth looking into that.

No other courses they are interested in; back up plan is to take a gap year, reapply with a second choice which is a bit similar but not exactly the same or go into an apprenticeship after gap year.

We know someone who was set in Cambridge, she waited two years but is there now and loving it. So it does happen. DC is not applying for Cambridge just to clarify

Why not just list second choice this year too?

They are not completely happy with that option; course is not the same. The location not as convenient so they want to have another go to their favourite choice if they don’t get offered this year. Predicted grades are realistic.

Can always go through the process and withdraw later, pre or post results.

I've just been reading about this on The Student Room where there are quite a few posts on the subject.

We're in a similar "it's there or nowhere" situation because of the modular course DS wants to do (in Ireland - and yes, he is Irish but we live elsewhere in the EU). University in the UK is not an option, even though similar courses might be available, because we can't afford international fees as we don't meet the "home student" criteria. And he is fed up with learning foreign languages from his second language instead of being able to do it from his mother tongue, so that rules out our local unis.

I think our plan is for him to get his grades (fingers crossed), take a gap year (he's young in his year) and apply during that year. The whole deferred entry thing becomes difficult as I understand it because the modules are subject to change from year to year.

He's only in the equivalent of Lower Sixth at the moment and getting him to show enthusiasm for any university or any course -other than this one place - has been like getting blood out of a stone.

I suspect some of the resistance to the idea is psychological rather than practical. It's like putting down more than one school choice even if you live next door to your choice and it's never oversubscribed. People instinctively react against narrowing choices when it's not required.

But if your DC really wouldn't want to go anywhere else and their chances of getting in are reasonable then really, why not?